gen 2 a better buy?
 

I had 5 gen 1 Rx7s and still have the 84 SE. I have been watching prices for all 3 and it appears, that the best buy is actually a gen 2. Most I have looked at have fairly low miles, better shape, and would take less money to restore. Is that a correct assessment? I looked at replacement engines through Atkins Rotary and gen 2 13Bs run $900+ less than a gen 1 13B. I had pretty much made up my mind to get another gen 1 as the 84 is going to my son. But now I am thinking maybe a gen 2 is a better buy. What say you all?

I think it depends on what kind of car you're looking for.
Compared to your FBs the FC is a hefty girl, a better cruiser than carver.

I can see a direct genetic linkage from the MGB to the 240-280Z to the original RX7.
Other than engine though, the FC doesn't relate much to the FB...it's more akin to a Porsche 924.
A GT car, basically.

Viewed historically, the third gen FD would be a logical extension from the FB and the FC appears to have waddled in and squatted in the middle for a few years.

All snark aside, I've dailied my FC for over eight years and it's been excellent.
They are overall pretty simple to work on and maintain, most common faults are well known and solvable.
IMO, as long as you wade in with the desire for a nice street car- and stay NA- the FC is a fine choice.

weird it won't let me post the whole thing; cliff notes, just buy an S5 T2, they are cheap, and the FC is cool, it just gets overshadowed by the other Rx7s

rare double post!

I have this book around somewhere.
IIRC they wanted to build a car to compete against or outperform/out handle the Porsche 944. Since the 944 was based on the 924 platform I'd say you're pretty spot on. Also IIRC they did manage to get around the Nurburgring faster than the 944 of the time( say '85-86). It also explains why it looks so similar to the Porsche.

I'll put on my James May skinsuit and say that the FC's Ring time (good as it may be) is not relevant to evaluating the car as designed. A better test would be to line the FC and the 924 up in London and rate the drive TO the Ring.

I attach no stigma to the GT designation, it's a valid market niche and the FC competes favorably within it.

It was definitely a quasi GT/sports car, leaning more towards the GT side for sure. Maybe some models were sportier than others due to lighter weight and less features.

It's certainly a different car than a first gen. If you want the fastest option, buy a T2. If you want simpler and therefore easier to work on, stay N/A. I daily drove my N/A for five years and it was fantastic. Only left me stranded once. I also daily drove my T2 for close to five years and it was good as well, but had a few more issues as a daily driver. Some of that can be attributed to the condition of the cars when I bought them.

As with any car, buy the best you can afford within that model choice. If it comes to restoration (something I know all too well), look for one with a perfect interior. Many parts are still available, but they are expensive.

If you get an FC, you will be happy for sure!

I do feel the need to chime in with some facts. :) In the tests of the day, they compared the FC to the 944, not the 924. My dad owned both a 924 and 944 back when I bought my first FC. Comparing a car from 82 to an 86+ car doesn't make sense to me, not to mention I've driven all three back-to-back and I found the 944 N/A a very close comparison to the FC N/A. The 924 is very close to the FB in weight and dimensions, not the FC/944. Check out the weights:

Weights
RX-7 FB - 2300 to 2500 lbs
924 - 2381 lbs

944 N/A - 2601 - 2902 lbs
FC N/A (base)- 2696 lbs

Also for the day, cars like the 928 were called GT (i've driven these as well... VAST difference from FC/944. Supra would also be more of a GT. A few years later, Mitsubishi 3000gt/Dodge stealth would be considered GT also based on dimensions, weight and feel.

thanks for the answers. I had 5 gen 1s, (still have the 84 SE but that is going to my 13 year old) and I had a gen 2. It was the base/sport model. It handled well and was a great car. I drove it from 1986 to 2009. Yep, I took great care of it. I wish I had kept it. My idea is an all around GT that is a 924/944 killer (ha ha). But this helps.

Oh it will be! That's the reason at the time I went with an 87 RX-7 over the 944. Mazda put the quality in where it mattered (mechanicals, suspension, transmission) and saved where it didn't(interior materials). The 944 was crazy with a 6 ft timing belt interference 2.4l. With minor work on the N/A 13B you have more power and none of the headaches (I swear Porsches like to leak from every orifice).

As to the original question. Seems there are fewer parts listed as NLA on Mazdatrix's website for the 2nd gen. Especially engine parts so that is a plus. I had a '79 Rx7 once and though I do miss it sometimes I prefer the 2nd gen car. Even though that book claims the wheelbase is shorter on the 2nd gen it has always felt bigger to me than the 1st.

it does feel that way, although the wheelbases are basically the same, and the FC is actually shorter overall than the 1st gen by 6-8".

You settled it
 

One of my dream cars is the FD. Generally, I find them around $18 but needing work including engine rebuild etc. After reading your posts, and doing some research, and I may be wrong, it appears that the initial cost of the FC (I am finally learning the correct terms) might be higher than the FB, but in my experience, they tend to be in better shape with lower miles. I checked with Atkins rotary and others and the FC 13B is in much greater supply and costs less than the 84-85 SE. I would have to do the same suspension work on an FB as an FC, due to age, and the 13B is already there. I also like the style. I had a blue 86 that I drove new until I traded it in 2009. I wish I still had that car. It seems when comparing costs, the FC is a steal compared to the others. Am I on the right track? I hope to start looking this summer. Thanks for the great input. It has been a real help.

This is one of the main reasons IMO the FC is so cheap. It is a good car, but it does have the classic feel of the SA/FB nor the High tech feel of the FD. If you treat an N/A right they can last a long time. The 4 Piston calipers made there way to the FD with slight changes to fit Larger rotors.

raksj04
 

Good point. Don't tell anyone else for a while. Let's keep this quiet until after I get one. According to a poster on the FD threads, the cost of that car is actually going up. Not sure how accurate that is but the starting prices for decent ones is so high to begin with. If I get this new job in the fall, I might be able to swing this (forced to retire for being politically INcorrect...)

Of course they are going up, no one but 7 enthusiasts are keeping them going, and even then its hard to with the prices of parts and time.

FDs didn't have the US sales like the SA FB or FC, since they were only shipped over for....what? 3-4 years? Where as the sa/fb had a 6 year run, and the FC had a 5 year run

Am I on the right track?
 

I have a sports car now but one a project that I can build (have some built) and modify as I go. I looked at Nissan 300ZX turbos, very expensive, Toyota Supra twin-turbo (worse) Toyota MR2 turbo, and even older 2000-2004 Porsche Boxsters. The first two are just way too high for a project car on a budget. The Toyota would need lots of performance enhancements and suspension mods to get up to snuff. Same with the Porsche plus its used average starting price of $15K+. But, it seems I can pick up a good gen 1 or 2 Rx7f for $3500 t0 $9K and, even with a rebuilt motor (I can't do that) and suspension mods, (I can do) and painted (a friend of mine can do that and he is good) it comes out ready to roar at under $15K, maybe less and that is where some of the non-rotaries begin. Does that sound about right?

I wish I had kept my blue 86 Sport model...

i think you've basically got it right. the fun street FC recipe is as follows, and can be done really cheaply.

for the engine, a fresh engine is nice, but i haven't actually had to do an engine in an FC in years. i go through and do the major service, and make sure everything works. change anything that isn't in great shape. be picky.

both the NA and T2 like an exhaust, the easy T2 answer is the RB turbo back, the NA does fine with just the RB DP set. you can always swap the pre silencer for a cat. cat back of your choice.

i like the Vert engine and transmission mounts, they are slightly stiffer than the coupe, without being as stiff as the comp stuff, so there is no NVH penalty. the comp diff mounts are the way to go though.

suspension, for FUN the stock setup is quite good. i'd recommend replacing any worn parts with just new stock stuff. buy some nice shocks, not sure what the cool kids buy now, but the AGX's used to be really nice, set them on 1F and 2-3R. stock springs work really well, the EIbach's would be choice two, and RB is 3.

go for as much negative camber in the front as the stock parts will give you, and run zero toe. in the rear stock is fine.

i found on the NA that 205/50/15 was way better than 205/60/15, the shorter tire really helps.

a limited slip diff is nice, the S4 GXL is the NA that came with it.

after that, you loose a few LBS. the AL hood is easy. if you have a steel spare, loose that too. a catback will drop a surprising amount of weight. these three things are about 80lbs, which you will notice. there are a bunch of brackets and things all over the car that can be removed, like the one for the boost/pressure/map sensor, but weight savings is probably small. you could go further, but it tends to dip into stuff you notice, like the AC, and carpets and stuff.

so put all these together and you really sharpen the car up, and it is still stock, so it will be quiet and ride well. plus its also simple

I like my S5.
After all the maintenance was done the car is a Start and GO...
I had a full summer of turn key driving last year and that was RARE after dealing with Crap from the TII swap that I did with the S4.
Power is nice but actual driving is better.

:scratch:

Driving? What is this driving you speak of?

+1. i actually un 20B swapped my FC back in the day, for a 13B-T and it was nice to just drive the car. the longer bit is that i had gone from the E6k, which sucked to the E11, which was better when it worked, and i was staring a 3rd ecu purchase and install, and in 2004 there were no good ecu options, besides a motec, so i sold